Intelligence Analyst
Salary

Intelligence Analysts in the United States take home an average $70K annually. Cash earnings for Intelligence Analysts — which occasionally include more than $6K from bonuses and more than $13K from profit sharing — stretch from around $40K to approximately $104K. The company is the biggest factor affecting pay for this group, followed by career length and geographic location. Most Intelligence Analysts like their work and job satisfaction is high. Generally, women make up less than a third of all Intelligence Analysts who answered the questionnnaire. Most report receiving medical coverage from their employers and a strong majority collect dental insurance. This report is based on answers to PayScale's salary questionnaire.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

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Job Description for Intelligence Analyst

Intelligence analysts generally work for government agencies, and companies which work with the government, in order to provide information about security threats. Although this job involves working many hours within an office environment, it often requires on-field exploration, as well, in order to best understand situations and conduct investigations.

This job may require travel, both local and international, so flexibility with time is very important. Strong computer, research, and report-writing skills are generally required in order to carry out searches, maintain communication with employers and co-workers, and present findings to the appropriate parties. Strong written and verbal communication skills and problem-solving skills are also important.

Intelligence analysts are responsible for perusing and making sense of large amounts of data, which involves analyses such as history and statistics. All information acquired should be classified and kept confidential as necessary. Those in this position must be familiar with the necessary analysis tools and automated systems like databases, imagery analysis, and signal intelligence, and some jobs require intelligence analysts to have reached a certain level of security clearance. Aspiring intelligence analysts should receive training from an intelligence collection and analysis school and earn the proper certification. A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field may also be a minimum requirement, though some employers will hire those with significant prior experience in place of a degree.

Intelligence Analyst Tasks

Initiate, coordinate and conduct research efforts.

Gather, analyze, and evaluate information from a variety of sources.

Determine the significance and reliability of incoming information.

Establish and maintain intelligence records and files.

Common Career Paths for Intelligence Analyst

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Intelligence Analysts who move on to become Senior Intelligence Analysts may enjoy significant pay raises, as Senior Intelligence Analysts get paid an average of $94K per year. Many Intelligence Analysts choose to become Personnel Security Specialists and Crime Analysts as their careers advance. However, folks in those positions report median salaries of $18K less and $29K less, respectively.

Intelligence Analyst Job Listings

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Popular Employer Salaries for Intelligence Analyst

Intelligence Analysts fill the offices of leading firms Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force (USAF), BAE Systems Inc., and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Intelligence Analysts flock to Northrop Grumman Corporation for generous paychecks, where average earnings of $92K lead the pack in compensation; however, Northrop Grumman Corporation also provides employees with a wide spectrum of compensation ranging from $51K at one end to $131K at the other end. Northrop Grumman Information Systems, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and Booz, Allen, and Hamilton are a few other companies that offer generous salaries, with Intelligence Analysts earning around $84K, $80K, or $79K at each firm, respectively.

U.S. Marine Corps reports the lowest median salary in the area by far — it's only $37K, less than half of the top paying company's rate. Others at the bottom of the scale for this job include U.S. Army at $48K, and U.S. Air Force (USAF) where $53K is the norm, but it is worth noting that some Intelligence Analysts there earn up to $88K.

Popular Skills for Intelligence Analyst

This chart shows the most popular skills for this job and what effect each skill has on pay.

Survey respondents exploit a significant toolbox of skills in their work. Most notably, skills in Spanish Language, Human Intelligence, Signals Intelligence, and Geospatial Intelligence are correlated to pay that is above average, with boosts between 3 percent and 9 percent. Skills that pay less than market rate include Russian Language, Oral / Verbal Communication, and Arabic Language. Most people skilled in Data Analysis are similarly competent in Human Intelligence (HUMINT) and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT).

Pay by Experience Level for Intelligence Analyst

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

For many Intelligence Analysts, more experience generally translates to higher pay. Relatively untried employees who have less than five years' experience make $58K, but folks with five to 10 years under their belts enjoy an appreciably larger median of $74K. After working for 10 to 20 years, Intelligence Analysts make a median salary of $83K. Intelligence Analysts who have spent more than 20 years on the job report earning a significantly higher median of $96K.

Pay Difference by Location

Home to some of the best pay for Intelligence Analysts, Honolulu offers exceptional salaries, 21 percent above the national average. Intelligence Analysts can also look forward to large paychecks in cities like Charlottesville (+15 percent), Reston (+13 percent), McLean (+12 percent), and Fort Meade (+10 percent). Falling short of the national average by 14 percent, the area with the worst salaries is San Diego. Not at the bottom but still paying below the median are employers in San Antonio and Los Angeles (10 percent lower and 9 percent lower, respectively).